Soul Society (Seireitou)
Soul Society (尸魂界, literally "Dead Spirit World") is the afterlife for those who live in the World of the Living in Japan. It is meant to correspond to Heaven or Nirvana in Human belief systems. It is the place where most departed souls and the Shinigami dwell. Overview While Rukia Kuchiki initially describes Soul Society as something of a paradise, where nine out of ten times it is better than the World of the Living and hunger is never a problem, Soul Society is far from sublime. In fact, aside from the slowed aging and aforementioned lack of hunger, life there is much like that in the living world. The Human World and Soul Society are parallel to each other and are two sides of the same coin. Families separated by death are rarely reunited in the Soul Society unless they arrive in Soul Society together. People live nestled together like a family of strangers. One never gets hungry (if she or he doesn't have spiritual powers) and aging is slowed to a great extent, with lifespans of 2000 or more years not being unheard of, though such ages are limited to Shinigami or other Soul Society dwellers with high spiritual power. Children can be born as they are in the Human World. People can also be killed as regular Humans are, though they are capable of surviving wounds that would normally be considered fatal. A soul that dies in Soul Society is reincarnated on Earth as a new Human with no past memories. Shinigami enter and leave Soul Society by unlocking the Senkaimon and using a Jigokuchō. Pluses, on the other hand, enter Soul Society through the ritual of Soul Burial. When people die, they are assigned a number to a part of Soul Society according to when they died. Spirits can be born in Soul Society as much as in the living world, with the Shinigami acting to balance the souls. Intruders can pass through the Senkaimon in the same manner, but only in soul form. This allows spiritual beings, such as Ichigo Kurosaki in his Shinigami form, to enter without permission. Humans can also use such a gate through the use of Reishihenkanki (霊子変換機, "Spirit Exchangers"), which convert solid matter into reishi. Finally, Hollows can also directly rip a hole to Soul Society from Hueco Mundo, or in the case of Arrancar, using a Garganta. Geography Seireitei The Seireitei (瀞霊廷, "Court of Pure Souls") is in the center of Soul Society and the headquarters of the Gotei 13. Thirteen Prefectures Soul Society consists of thirteen prefectures, each of which are under the direct jurisdiction of one of the Gotei 13's divisions. However, while that is true, other divisions have been known to act on another division's prefecture, such as when Mayuri Kurotsuchi, the former Captain of the Twelfth Division, murdering nearly 28,000 Rukongai citizens without the permission of the former First Division Captain, Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto. However, in regards to this, divisions may request the assistance of another division's officers to assist in missions to their respective prefectures. They are all of varying sizes, terrains, and population. It appears that the general deployment of troops from each division is led by a seated officer somewhere in the middle-ranks, such as an eighth seat or ninth seat. However, there are rare occasions where a lower-ranked officer will lead the task force responsible for that district. It is unknown how many troops are normally deployed at any given time to any specific prefecture. Rukongai Reiōkyū Hidden within Soul Society, there is an innermost dimension known as Reiōkyū (霊王宮, "Soul King Palace"), located at its core. It is the home of the Spirit King and the Royal Guard. Government King of Souls Soul Society is ruled by a king. He commonly leaves the running of Soul Society to the Central 46 Chambers and Nobles. He lives with his family in the Royal Palace in a separate dimension in the very core of Soul Society, which is protected by the Royal Guard. The King does have a specific system of "speciality duties" which are actively carried out but the exact nature of these duties is unknown. The dimension can only be opened with a tri-pronged golden key fittingly named the Royal Key (王鍵, Ōken). The location of this Royal Key is passed down verbally from one Gotei 13 Captain-Commander to the next. According to Rangiku Matsumoto, no Shinigami has ever seen the king. Judiciary Central 46 (中央四十六, Chūō Shijūroku): The Central 46 serve the Shinigami royalty (the ruling class of all Soul Society). They are made up of 40 wise men and 6 judges, selected from all of Soul Society. They are sealed into an enclave in Seireitei called (清浄塔居林, Central Forty-Six Chambers) which no one else may enter, regardless of their military or civilian status. They act as a supreme judiciary organization whose authority puts it in direct control of the legal system. They handle all rulings on Shinigami and souls who have violated prohibitions. Their orders are absolute and no decision has been known to be overturned. Nobility Another part of the government are the Noble Houses (Noble Families in the English version), especially four of them, which are considered to be the highest of them all. The lower noble houses all serve one of the four each. Laws of Soul Society Military The armed forces of Soul Society consist of two independent main branches: the Gotei 13 and the Royal Guard. Gotei 13 The Gotei 13 (護廷十三隊, Goteijūsantai; 13 Division Imperial Guards) is the organization which most Shinigami join. It is split into thirteen divisions (hence the name), with several divisions having certain specializations. Kidō Corps Onmitsukidō Royal Guard Under the King of Souls, there is the Royal Guard (王属特務, Ōzokutokumu). Also known as the Zero Division, it is made up of former Captains of the Gotei 13 who have been promoted to this level. Only Captains of the Gotei 13 know of their existence. They are said to have considerable power and tactical knowledge. Only the Royal family presides over them, the Central 46 have no say in them what so ever. Level of Technology Behind the Scenes